Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/09/09/behind-the-lens-the-lumendorff-a-lange-sohne-datograph-lumen-with-unique-custom-fitted-platinum-bracelet-reprise/
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The lume in the Lumen
I have a lot of respect for photographers who have mastered the art of the lume shot; it’s always a treat for me to see a well-rendered image of a watch in which the lume is evident. And there’s no lack of creativity out there in showing the bright bits in everything from total darkness to nearly daylight.
My technique is a bit more primitive, but my preference for tack-sharp focus translates into this realm as well.
Out of the darkness: Datograph Lumen by A. Lange & Söhne
Getting the focus exactly right in a lume shot can be – quite literally – a shot in the dark; what I’ve done to create the image above is to use a focus stack of five source images, each in a slightly different focal plane that uses software to pick out the sharpest area from each image. Stacking software likes source images of similar brightness, so it took a few tries waving my UV flashlight around prior to each shutter release to get a usable stack!
Technique aside, this photo shows how A. Lange & Söhne uses different applications of luminous material on the hands, subdials, and big date elements to give us a show of green light. I’ll confess that I’d prefer a more uniform appearance of the luminous parts; and if you look very carefully, you can see that the brightness of the backgrounds of the 2 and 5 on the big date are slightly different because of the placement of the luminous layers for each, even after I cheated a bit by brightening the area behind the 2 in Photoshop.
About that bracelet
A big part of the story of this particular watch, of course, is the bracelet – an original Wellendorff creation modified to fit the Datograph Lumen case.
Customized wavy link bracelet, A. Lange & Söhne Datograph Lumen
A Lange & Söhne precious metal bracelets are pretty much a cult item: you either love them or hate them. I’m in the former camp, and I especially appreciate the varying link patterns that Lange commissioned to match various watches, with the undulating links on this watch being perhaps my favorite. At the owner’s request, I flipped the clasp and moved a link from one side of the bracelet to the other, and the process gave me an even greater appreciation for the bracelet’s design as I threaded the interlocking pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Rear view, A. Lange & Söhne platinum bracelet by Wellendorff
As seen from behind, the design is extremely clean, with the recurring pattern of the links intact on both sides until it vanishes into the simple rectangular nameplate at the center of the clasp.
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Credits: Article and images by @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2023/09/09/behind-the-lens-the-lumendorff-a-lange-sohne-datograph-lumen-with-unique-custom-fitted-platinum-bracelet-reprise/
